The Great Central Valley Water Battle

Updated April 19, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET

Your March 17 story about the renewal of water contracts in California's Central Valley ("Is Water Too Cheap? As Contract Renewals Loom, Environmentalists, Tax Group Call for Farmers to Pay More") illuminated some interesting aspects about the cost of "cheap water" in our state.

But it completely overlooked one of those costs. As chairman of Northern California's Hoopa Valley Tribe, I have watched my tribe and the Trinity River, which bisects our reservation, pay dearly for the water that has been taken...